Writing instrument



June 16, 1953 J. P. GOWLAND WRITING INSTRUMENT Filed March 17, 1950 w mm Patented June 16, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE John Pinkney Gowland, Santa Barbara, Calif. Application March 17, 1950, Serial No. 150,334

This invention relates to writing instruments of the kind known as ball pens, in which a rotatable ball partially protrudes from a housing communicating with an ink reservoir so that rotation of the ball in contact with a writing surface transfers a small quantity of ink on the surface of the ball to the writing surface and thereby makes a trace on the latter.

In the construction of ball pens, as distinct from ordinary fountain pens, it is generally desirable for the diameter of the ink reservoir to be kept at a fraction only of that usual in ordinary pens, the communication passage between the reservoir and the writing ball being similarly restricted in diameter.

The present invention has for an object to provide an improved ball pen in which, while retaining these features, the ink capacity is considerably increased.

Yet another object is to provide a ball pen in I which the consumption of ink can be readily checked by the position of an adjustable element.

Other objects and features will become apparent as this specification proceeds.

According to the present invention, a ball pen comprises an outer case or barrel which is fitted at one end with a housing carrying the rotatable ball, and contains a rotatable cylindrical ink reservoir unit which has a set of distinct ink reservoirs extending from end to end of the unit and seats at its end nearer the ball housing against a cover or seating in the barrel, which normally closes the outlet ends of the reservoirs in the unit and is provided with an ink duct communicating with a duct in the ball housing leading to the ball, whereby the reservoir unit may be rotated to bring the outlet end of any one of the reservoirs into registry with the ink duct in the seating, and thus position the selected reservoir for use, while the remainder of the reservoirs in the unit remain closed at their outlet ends by said seating. A seatingor cover may also be provided in the barrel for normally closing the other (herein called inlet) ends of the reservoirs in the unit, and an air inlet opening or duct to the outside atmosphere may be arranged in the barrel so as to register with the inlet end of the reservoir in use. A suitable visible indicator is provided to indicate the series of positions of the unit relatively to the barrel, in which the respective reservoirs are brought into use.

Great Britain March 23, 1949 10 Claims. (Cl. 12.0-42.17)

The reservoir unit may be moulded in one piece, or in two or more parts subsequently assembled. The separate reservoirs may be formed by a set of separate bores through the cylindrical body of the reservoir unit. Alternatively, the body may be provided with a set of grooves or channels in its external surface which is a close rotatable fit in the barrel so that the latter forms a separate reservoir tube with each groove or channel. The bores, grooves or channels may extend substantially parallel to the axis of the cylindrical body. Alternatively, and more especially in the case of the external grooves or channels, the reservoirs may extend along the body helically or in any other suitable arrangement providing a length for each reservoir greater than the length of the cylindrical body. The latter may be provided at its end with shoulders shuttin respectively against the above-mentioned seatings in the barrel, and with axial portions of reduced diameter forming stems or spindles located in suitable bearing apertures formed in the seating member. At the inlet end of the cylindrical body, the stem may extend through and project from the seating member so that the projecting portion, or another member mounted thereon, is made accessible for rotation by hand, to rotate the reservoir unit relatively to the barrel.

One embodiment of the invention and a number of modifications thereof are illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

Fig. l is a longitudinal section of a ball pen embodying one form of the invention,

Fig. 1a is an elevational view of the reservoir unit thereof.

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the pen.

Fig. 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a cross section of the barrel and reservoir unit showing a modification.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view in section illustrating a modified form of the reservoir unit and of the retaining ring.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Fig. 5, and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing another modified form of the reservoir unit.

Referring now to the drawings, and mor particularly to Figs. 1 to 3, l is the barrel of a ball pen according to the invention which may, for example, be made of moulded synthetic-resin material.

The tip of the barrel I has an axial cylindrical bore'2 extending into the centre of a conical seating 3 for the outlet end of the reservoir unit 4. The ball housing 5 has a stem 6 by which the housing is permanently fixed (such as by cementmunic'ates with the duct I I.

ing), or is removably fixed (such as by screwing) in the bore 2 in order to secure the housing to the barrel tip, and which has an axial ink duct 12. The outlet end of the cylindrical body 9 of the reservoir unit 4 is formed with a conical shoulder 1 which matches and abuts against the conical seating 3 in the barrel. Extending from the conical shoulder is an axial cylindrical peg 8 which fits into the bore 2 in the barrel tip. A number of internal reservoirs are formed as longitudinal recesses It in the cylindrical body 9. In the orbit of the outlet ends of the reservoirs H) the barrel tip contains an ink duct l l extending between the conical seating 3 and the bore 2 so as to form a passage for ink flow from the conical seating, to the duct l2 in the stern of the ball housing and to the ball l3 in the tip of the housing. At its other end, the barrel is open to permit insertion of the reservoir unit, which is then retained by a ring l4 cemented, screwed or otherwise fixed in the open end of the barrel to abut against the shoulder at the adjacent end of the cylindrical body 9 of the reservoir unit, the stem 16 of the unit at that end fitting into and passing through the ring. An air hole or duct l'l adapted to communicate selectively with flutes Ila of the stem I6 is suitably positioned in the barrel and/or as shown in the retaining ring 14. A cap I8 shaped externally to conform to the exterior contour of the barrel is cemented or otherwise mounted on the projecting end of the stem l6 and serves for manual operation to rotate the reservoir unit 4 in the barrel i. 'F'orindicating the operative positions of the reservoirs in the unit, the cap and the retaining ring (or barrel) may be provided with an index mark l9 on one member cooperating with .a series of marks 29 (one for each reservoir) provided around the other member, which marks may be serially numbered. For intsance, the reservoir unit may be formed with six separate ink reservoirs, and the cap marked with the numerals 1 to 6 at the appropriate intervals there- 'ar'ound, cooperating with an index arrow or other mark on the retaining ring or barrel.

The reservoir 'unit may if desired be moulded in two separate identical halves. Fig. i shows a cross section of a reservoir which is likewise equipped with six ink reservoir units 2!, which are arranged symmetrically to a dividing line 22. According to another modification illustrated in Figs. 5 and '6, the reservoirs are formed as bores 23 i-n'the cylindrical portion 39 of the reservoir unit. In this embodiment also the retaining ring 34 is provided with an axial passage 35 which communicates with the air duct 31 and is adapted, at each operative position of the reservoir unit, to register with the inlet opening of the reservoir '23 the outlet opening of which com- This feature avoids the necessity of providing air ducts in the upper -36 of the reservoir unit corresponding to the ducts I B sho'Wn'i-n Fig. 1.

Fig. '7 shows a further modified form of the reservoir unit, in which the individual reservoirs are constituted by grooves 28 which are helically wound round the cylindrical portion 29 thus increasing the length of the reservoirs for a given length of the cylindrical body.

-I claim;

1. A ball pen, comprising a barrel having a longitudinal bore, a housing connected to the barrel to close one end of said bore, a writing ball rotatably carried in said housing, said housing being formed with a duct communicating with said bore and leading to the ball, a cylindrical ink reservoir unit rotatably mounted in said bore of the barrel, said unit being formed with a set of ink reservoirs extending side by side from one end of the unit to the other, the barrel being formed adjacent to the ball housing with a seating co-operating with the adjacent end of the reservoir unit to normally close in an ink-proof manner one end of each reservoir and having an ink duct communicating with said duct of the housing, and means connected with the reservoir unit and extending outside the barrel for turning said unit in the bore of the barrel to selectively bring the said end of the individual said reservoirs into 're'gi'stry with the ink duct in the seating to selectively position one of said reservoirs for use, the barrel being composed of two parts detachably connected to each other, one part being formed withsaid seating and the other part being formed with a further seating for co-operation with the other end of the reservoir unit to normally close the other end of each reservoir, the part containing said further seating having an air-inlet duct communicating with the atmosphere and forming a .port in said seating so disposed relative to the ink duct as to be in registry with the other end of any one of the reservoirs of the unit when one end of such reservoir is in registry with the ink duct.

2. A ball pen as claimed in claim 1, in which the reservoir unit is provided at its two ends with shoulders abutting respectively against said seating and against said further seating and with axial portions of reduced diameter forming stem spindles, each said part having a bearing aperture respectively extending through said seating and further seating, and said stem spindles being respectively located in said bearing aperture.

3. A ball pm as claimed in claim 2, in which the stem spindle at one end of the reservoir unit is formed integral with said unit and projects through said further seating to transmit rotation to the reservoir unit.

4. A ball pen as claimed in claim 1, in which the reservoir unit is formed as a cylindrical body and the individual reservoirs are formed as tubular passages which are substantially parallel to the axis of said body and extend through said body-from one't'o the other end thereof.

5. A ball pen as claimed in'claim 4,'in which each said passage has an end portion of reduced cross-section for co=operation with said further seating to selectively connect each said reservoir with said air-inlet duct.

6-, A ball pen as claimed inclaim l, in which the reservoirs are formed as grooves in the cylindrical surface of the reservoir unit, said surface having a sealing 'fitin the bore of the barrel.

7. A ball pen asclaimed in claim 6, in which said reservoir unit is symmetrical to a 'diametric'al plane, said grooves at each side of saidfpla'ne be ing divided from each other by partitions dis"- posed substantially perpendicularly of said plane.

A ball pen asclaimed in "claim 7, in which sa d reservoir unit is constituted of two separate 1y moulded parts, said .parts'being in contact with each other along said diametrical plane.

9. A ball pen comprising a barrel which is fitted at one end with a housing and formed "with a cylindrical bore extending longitudinally withm said barrel, a cylindrical member rotatably mounted in said bore to form with said barrel a pair of co-operating members having 'sealingl y co-operating complementary cylinder surfaces, means external of the barrel operable for producing relative rotation of said members, and a writing ball rotatably carried by said housing, one of said members having grooves extending longitudinally in said cylindrical surface thereof constituting ink reservoirs, said grooves ending short of said housing so as to be normally cut off from communication therewith by the other of said members, the ball housing having a duct leading to the surface of the ball, and an inkcontrol duct communicating with said duct being provided in said other member, said ink control duct having an opening in the complementary cylindrical surface of said other'member for selective communication with the adjacent outlet end of any one of said reservoirs, said other member being further provided with a vent control passage which is open to the atmosphere and has a port opening disposed in said complementary cylindrical surface for selective communication with one of said reservoirs near their inlet ends as the outlet end of each reservoir is placed into communication with the ink control duct.

10. A ball pen as claimed in claim 9, including means for indicating which of the reservoirs is in communication with the ink-control duct.

JOHNPINKNEY GOWLAND.

, ReferencesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,794,533 Niemtzow Mar. 3, 1931 1,797,465 De Biasi Mar. 24, 1931 2,511,369 Petit June 13, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 421,656 Germany Nov. 20, 1925 

